Bloomberg News

Iran Rejects Report of Blast at Nuclear Site as Propaganda

By Ladane Nasseri
January 28, 2013

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization
said a report of a blast at its Fordo nuclear site was
“absolutely incorrect,” the Islamic Republic News Agency
reported.

“The false report of an explosion in the Fordo site is
western propaganda ahead of the nuclear negotiations in order to
impact the talks,” Seyyed Shamseddin Barbardoudi, the deputy
head of Iran’s atomic agency, was quoted as saying by IRNA late
yesterday. “No explosion has occurred at Fordo.”

Masoud Jazayeri, a spokesman for the joint chiefs of staff
of Iran’s armed forces, also denied the explosion claim,
according to a report today by the state-run Iranians Students
News Agency.

In a Jan. 24 report, the WorldNetDaily said an explosion
occurred last week at Fordo, which is built inside a mountain
outside the Iranian capital, destroying part of the installation
and trapping some 240 employees underground. It cited a former
Iranian intelligence ministry official, Hamidreza Zakeri.

No Knowledge

The Fordo site, where Iran carries out uranium enrichment,
has drawn particular attention from Israel because it would be
difficult to destroy in an air strike. Israel has said it may
carry out such attacks in order to stop Iran’s nuclear progress.
Ministry official Amos Gilad told Army Radio today that Israeli
authorities have no knowledge of the blast and won’t speculate
about the report.

Iran is at loggerheads with the U.S. and its western
allies, who say the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program may be
aimed at developing atomic weapons. Iran denies the allegation
and says its work is solely civilian, aimed at generating
electricity and for medical research.

The U.S., the U.K., France, China, Russia and Germany are
seeking to reach a consensus with Iran on the venue for the next
round of negotiations. The last round of nuclear talks between
the Persian Gulf nation and the group known as the P5+1 was held
in Moscow in June 2012.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Ladane Nasseri in Dubai at
lnasseri@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Andrew J. Barden at
barden@bloomberg.net